An Assassin's Introspection
by Logan GC
Summary: As Mercury Black practices his fighting moves alone, he allows his thoughts to ponder on himself and the mentality that brought him to Salem's side.


**Author's Notes**: I do not own anything related to **RWBY**. All characters and respective media belongs to **Rooster Teeth** and **Monty Oum**, may he rest in peace. Story takes place shortly after the episode "Lost" in Volume six. Enjoy.

Mercury Black grunts as he practices his leg strikes in the air. Being cooped up at Salem's castle with nothing to do can lead to boredom very quickly. Especially now that Cinder's out of the picture, the silver haired assassin never realized how much time he spent working under the power hungry pyromancer. Ever since the attack at Haven failed and Cinder gone, Mercury is now subservient to Watts and Tyrian, more of Salem's lackeys.

The lackey part isn't the thing that bothered Mercury. Cinder only saw him as a pawn, his usefulness being that he is an assassin, and a damn good one. The only good thing his bastard of a father taught him to do anyway. And Mercury didn't mind on what Cinder thought him as. The only good thing he knows in life is how to kill people as efficient as possible. Might as well be with someone that will make use of his talents.

What's bothering Mercury is the thought of taking orders from Watts and Tyrian, the latter especially. The silver haired teen suppressed an angry growl as he remembered how the insane faunus subdued him that easily, his mechanical scorpion pincer mere inches from his face. At least with Cinder, there was insurance that she needed him. Hell, the fall of Beacon was proof when he threw the match against Xiao Long and with Emerald's semblance, convinced all of Remnant that she broke his leg. With Cinder, there was a sense of safety. Now with her gone, the silver haired assassin feels that safety net before now has holes in it.

Regardless, the silver haired teen knows that at least for now, Salem still needs him and Emerald. Remnant doesn't know of her existence, with the exception being Ozpin and his goody two-shoe heroes. As such, the ruler of the Grimm needs subterfuge to dismantle the kingdoms from the inside. Both Mercury and Emerald provided these talents.

To any morally just person, the thought of working for what is essentially the source of all evil would frighten and scare anyone on Remnant. To Mercury, he doesn't care. Even if he didn't serve under Cinder and Salem, he would still be an assassin. He was raised to do only one thing, to be an efficient killer. The silver haired teen doubted the kingdoms supported a hundred and one ways on how to assassinate a target as quiet as possible in their fancy academies.

And besides, being a Huntsman? The thought alone was funny enough without imagining Mercury himself acting heroic like Ruby Rose. In this world, where Grimm have existed and threatened humanity for millenia with the knowledge that Salem exists, Mercury would rather be on the winning side if anything else.

As he practices a roundhouse kick against an imaginary Yang Xiao Long, Mercury's thoughts trail back to the idea of him being a hero. It was an idealistic idea, but a dumb one. Even if he didn't take part of the destruction at Beacon and the deaths of innocents along with working under Salem herself, why should he care about strangers? Marcus Black may have been a bastard, but he taught Mercury to look out for himself. After all, this ideal got him this far. Why change that now? Just for a sense that doing the right thing can inspire and protect others? Pffttt... what childish garbage.

In a cruel world like Remnant, looking out for yourself is vital to survive. Pointless heroics only get you killed. Case and point when Pyrrha Nikos tried to stop Cinder. Relying on your own and knowing your place in the grand scheme of things were Salem is involved, that guarantees you live longer. What use was honor and justice if you're dead?

Which is why Emerald's identity crisis surprised the silver haired assassin. You would think that Emerald living on the streets would have forged a similar mindset like he has. Still, Mercury couldn't believe that Emerald thought Cinder cared for her.

Emerald can deny it all she wants, she can hit Mercury as hard as she can, but at the end of the day Emerald is like him to Cinder. A means to an end. Cinder isn't a mommy to Emerald. The only thing that Cinder cared for Emerald is her semblance. The sooner Emerald acknowledges that, the sooner she'd move on.

Still, Mercury notices the fearful way she looks at Tyrian. Showing fear, showing vulnerability now that Cinder's out of the picture, that's blood in the water. And showing fear when you're working with the greatest evil of Remnant, it implies doubt. And doubt can make yourself a target.

Mercury told Tyrian to back off but the silver haired assassin knows he can't be Emerald's babysitter forever. Whatever existential crisis she's going through, Emerald better deal with it quickly. In this line of work, second guesses can get you killed.

The silver haired assassin ends his practice with a side kick, slightly panting from non stop training over the past two hours. Had time really gone that fast? He really needed Salem to tell him to kill someone before his boredom kills him.

And besides, all this thinking about changing sides, it's all distractions. The more Mercury humored those notions, is the chance that he'd consider one day. The silver haired teen should kill it before it grows, even it seems ridiculous now. After all, regret will land you in the ground.

Tired from practice and nothing else to do, Mercury lies down on his bed, an X-Ray and Vav comic in hand. As the assassin reads his comic issue with interest, Mercury remains comfortable the way he is. He knows that he would be considered a monster by society's standards. He was raised by a monster after all. Might as well embrace it.

After all, becoming a hero? Acting selfless for a just cause? _Him_? After helping in Beacon's destruction?... what a joke.


End file.
